


Count on me

by Diddle_Riddle



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: And he doesn't get paid enough for the job, And if Edward spoke then we must adopt his sayings, Crack Treated Seriously, Delayed Valentine's Day, Eddie needs therapy, Edward invented the term, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason too, M/M, Valentine's Day, it's a thing, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22752970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diddle_Riddle/pseuds/Diddle_Riddle
Summary: This was not how neither Edward Nygma nor Jason Todd expected to spend Valentine's Day this year.
Relationships: Edward Nygma & Jason Todd, Jonathan Crane/Edward Nygma
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	Count on me

"I won't be there for Valentine's Day. Business reasons, I can't delay a meeting."

Not a sympathetic prospect, but one Edward could _understand_ and eventually make his peace with. He wasn't _pleased_ with Jonathan's blatant lack of concern regarding anything romantic, but it was not as if the doctor ever pretended to care for Valentine's Day to begin with.

"Let's decide of a date, then.", he commanded however instead of making a scene, what in Riddler's case proved of an effort to act mature. "If you won't be there the 14, give me a day in near future to celebrate a _delayed Valentine's Day_."

Jonathan stared in return.

"Really?"

"It's this or you will have to _make it up_ to me. Big time!"

The professor sighed upon hearing Ed's frustrated tone of when he saw himself as the victim of a terrible injustice.

"Alright, alright...", he agreed, getting it was no use to argue. "Let's pick a date."

"In February.", Eddie insisted. "And the closest possible to Valentine's Day!"

"... Fine."

After studying their schedules, they agreed to settle for the 17 of February to enjoy their 'Delayed Valentine's Day' as Edward renamed it.

Thus Eddie played the all deal: dinner, soft music, candles, perfume, dressing perfectly, giving his flat a warm, romantic ambiance, decorations, roses... It was no breaking news after all, that Riddler lives for excess and that he _loves_ some good old-fashioned clichés. By now, Jonathan, the main Rogues Gallery members, the bats-and-birds, the GCPD, the Arkham staff, and... basically everyone in Gotham, knew his preferences and his thing for drama. Most of the time, they learned so against their will.

So there, the 17 of February, Edward waited for Jonathan to come home. The former teacher is a bit late by the way, but nevermind: Ed was resolute to spend a _lovely evening_ , it doesn't matter Jon shows up a few minutes late or a few minutes in advance as long as he comes by.

Except that of course, a few minutes turned into fifteen minutes, then into half an hour, then into a full hour... and so on.

_Knock knock knock!_

At last!, Edward thought, ready to attack Jon for being so late, when he realized the knocking didn't come from the door but from the window, where a little bird stood on the edge. So Robin finally remembered knocking is more courteous than sneaking in! Looks like those long months of training paid, in the end.

Ed opened and the kid entered before being invited to do so.

"I have no time for you.", he warned him right away. "I am... waiting for Jon. So could you please..."

"Da, what have you done to yar place?! It looks like some mushy setting for a disgustin' love movie!"

"I told you.", he retorted while repressing the urge to shot the bird his best bat-glare. "I don't have time for..."

"Can ya close da window? It's kinda cold out there!"

Edward rolled his eyes. But it's not like he could disagree: the freezing wind was _not_ a welcomed fellow.

"So.", he relaunched once he, indeed, closed that window. "What do you want? In need of an information, or are you just here because Batman is too boring of a company?"

"Second option.", the boy grinned. "Plus Gotham is calm tonight, so I take a break."

"Wise decision. So sad though... that you have _no one else_ to hang out with."

Jason as for him didn't pass the occasion to bat-glare him after this unnecessarily mean remark.

"Stop that.", Eddie jeered when the bird, dressed in bright yellow and red with green scaly panties, crossed his arms on his chest to try to give himself a menacing allure. "It doesn't work: you look adorable."

"Ya'll see how 'adorable' I am be when I'll beat ya to..."

A music shrilled out of the blue: _I've Got the Magic... in Me!_

"If you'll excuse me.", Riddler picked up the phone.

Jon's face popped up on the screen, he would better come up with a _convincing_ excuse to justify his tardiness.

"Where are you?!", Eddie greeted him curtly. "Do you have any idea of..."

" _I know, I know. I'm late_.", Scarecrow cut short his accusations. " _Sorry Ed, something came up, I can't be there tonight._ "

"What?! Why? Are you in troub..."

" _Don't worry; it's a scheme I elaborate with Pamela, not a Bat-incident. We worked on an important plan today, we got too involved in our discoveries to notice the hour. We almost managed to combine the active substance of fear toxin with the mutant growth hormone she injects in her plants to create hybrids. If we go through with it, it will be a_ revolutionary _approach! We cannot leave it there, we must work on it for longer than intended_."

"Are you serious?! You told me you were free this evening! And what are you doing?! Playing the sorcerer's apprentice with this crazy herbaceous..."

" _Do not_ insult _, kiddo_.", Poison Ivy's chilling voice intervened. " _It's not like you two had anything planned anyway_."

"But we _had!_ ", he cried out. "We were supposed to..."

" _It's okay, Edward_.", Jon took back in a detached voice. " _We'll deal with this later; for now, as I told you, I am busy. Have a nice evening_."

"What?! Don't you hang... up.", he finished when the communication ended.

He was about to furiously call him back when a sarcastic voice spoke:

"Problems in yar relationship?"

"... I forgot about you. What are you still doing there?!"

"Making fun of ya, mostly.", Jason responded and Edward grumbled angrily.

Then he put his phone on the kitchen countertop. Calling him back was vain anyway; Jon probably already turned his phone off, like he did _every time_ when they had a dispute. So instead of trying, Ed sat on a chair at the table nearby, a strangely defeated look on his face.

Jason arched an eyebrow under his domino mask. This was not the reaction he expected: he waited for Riddler to get mad and yell at Crane over the phone, or start an extended monologue in order to heavily complain about how life is unfair with him. But not... staying still and staring at nothing while looking depressed.

"... Ya okay?", he asked so, sitting himself... on the tabletop, because for whatever reason it seemed more accurate than taking a chair.

Edward looked up to him.

"What do you think?", he huffed. "I make _efforts_ , I try my best to make it _worth it_ , to do things well at least in my couple, since for the rest I mess everything up all the time! So I believed that maybe, just maybe, I could at least..."

He let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know.", he admitted then, and this came out as a heartbroken confession. "I hate _not knowing_. I am supposed to be the one who has all the answers, to success in everything I undertake. But it's just... a mess! Everything is! My career, my schemes, my mental health, my games with Batman, by business relations... and Jonathan doesn't help! We never go out, we never act caring or affectionate when there's someone around. Anyway we rarely do so when it's just the two of us. I don't have the right to take his hand or to come too close without asking for _permission_ , we don't hug, we touch once in a while, he never acknowledges me when he's working, he forgets my birthday just as he forgot _our_ birthday, and he always chooses his crows, his toxin and Isley's plants over me! I feel like we don't... even _pretend_ to be dating! It's our second Valentine's Day since we became a couple... The first year we _didn't celebrate it_ because Jon said it's a stupid habit; I let him persuade me not to do anything while I would have loved to. I am not even that demanding, you know! I swear! But this year I wanted... I wanted something _nice_ , for once."

Okay, now Jason felt truly _uncomfortable_ and he regretted Bruce's boring company.

"Hu... dude?", he inquired after a hesitation. "Ya know that... Valentine's Day was three days ago?"

Edward glared at him.

"Thanks, Captain obvious. I _know_ that."

He placed his elbows on the wooden surface of the table, afterwards he put his chin on the palms of his cupped hands.

"Jon refused to celebrate the 14.", he explained in a deadpan intonation. "He said it's because of business matter. I didn't reproach it to him, instead we agreed to have a... delayed Valentine's Day this evening."

"Delayed Valentine's Day?", the younger one quoted, skeptical. "Dat's the most absurb thing I ever heard!"

"... Thanks for your support, Birdie."

"Ya're welcome, Ginger."

They stared at each other a short moment, as to dare the other to make a wrong move or to start a fight. Then, since none of them initiated anything, the current situation turned comical –even a little _ridiculous_ , they must recognize– and they bursted out laughing.

"Even when ya're depressed and you need a couple therapy, ya're funny!"

"Glad I remain useful for something to someone.", he joked, a smile lightening up his features. "You chose a suitable timing."

"As it seems.", Jason bragged confidently. "So tell me: what were ya two supposed to do this evenin'? Maybe I can replace Crane?"

Edward eyed him with disbelief. Robin was something like... twelve? Thirteen at most? The Second Boy Wonder was around for over two years, but he stayed a _kid_. No way Ed would describe what adults customarily do during romantic evening dates. Furthermore he may liked to play adult, he only turned _twenty_ himself.

"No, you can't replace him.", he shook his head no. "Definitely not."

Jason chuckled, then jumped from the table to browse in the living-room and its attached kitchen.

"What did ya plan?", he belabored, looking around. "Going out in a restaurant and making love when ya two come back, or da full evening at your place?"

"The evening at my place.", Eddie answered, determined not to give further details. "That's why I took the time to decorate, to cook, to..."

"Ya made the dinner yarself?"

He nodded quietly.

"Sure. It took me the entire afternoon, actually."

Jason pouted.

"I feel ya.", he said in a sincere attempt to sound supportive. "Crane's a dick."

"... He is."

They shared a somewhat complicit smile.

"I didn't eat dinner before comin'.", Jason informed him next. "I would have stolen whatever in yar kitchen, but since ya cooked and all... 'would be a shame ta waste your hard work."

Edward smiled. This boy really was a delightful company.

"Alright, come in there.", he invited, and they both walked toward the kitchen.

Robin was right... it may wasn't what he planned, having a friendly evening sounded better than how he would have handled the new deception on his own: by crying and asking himself what is wrong with him, why he keeps on caring for something that was never there and certainly won't ever _be_... a thing.

"Da, ya didn't skimp on quality! That stuff smells so good!"

"... Thanks."

As ever, it was difficult to get if Robin mocked or complimented him given his anything but delicate formulations.

Thus they ended up reheating the meals while projecting a sympathetic time for themselves.

"We can pretend it's a celebration too.", Jason proposed at some point when eating the appetizer like he hadn't tasted food in years.

"Stop that right now, I am _not_ acting as if you were my Valentine."

"Of course no!", the kid giggled. "But we can say it's somethin' else! So da't we'll have a sorta birthday the 17 of February! Sounds like a cool tradition, doesn't it?"

"I don't know... it seems weird. Is today your birthday?"

"Nope.", he shook his head no. "And I know we aren't close ta yars either, it's in September."

"Finally someone remembers!", he exclaimed with gratefulness. "Let's see... we are not either at your Robin anniversary date. No, really it's..."

"There isn't a friendship celebration date in da calendar.", the boy reflected. "While there's one for love! How 'bout we say today is our day? And that this evenin' we start da tradition!"

"Again, this is just weird."

"Weirder than ya having a Delayed Valentine's Day with a former teacher and psychiatrist twice yar age who hangs out all year in a stitched Halloween costume and has a fetishism on _fear?_ "

"... You have a point."

Robin had a gift to summarize situations in an... unique manner.

"I must say starting a sort of 'birthday tradition', sounds... nice.", Eddie appreciated therefore.

"Cool then!", Jason triumphed with his typical enthusiasm. "Also. Not exactly da topic but super important nonetheless: I want a rematch after last time on dat spaceship."

"Interesting...", Eddie smirked. "So you still believe you stand a chance to beat the professional geek I am at a Star Wars video game? Poor little bird, this is a lost cause."

"We'll see! Count on me, I'm always ready to take up da challenge."

The evening pursued itself just like this: they finished their dinner, during which Jason asked _why_ Edward persists to be a supervillain, when he could meet great success if he simply opened a restaurant. Then they played video games, only taking breaks to eat pieces of the cake Eddie baked earlier, which entirely disappeared as the night went on.

In the end, who cared that Jonathan chose to be a killjoy? Ed and Jason had a far better time together than whatever very _approximatively_ romantic date Edward would have spent with his boyfriend. No question, time with friends is much more valuable.

Sure thing, it was not the first time Jason spent hours playing with Riddler at one of his hideouts. But since tonight turned into a sort of celebration in their personal calendar? Well let's say that....

They couldn't wait to be at next 17 of February for their second Friendship Birthday.


End file.
